India ended the second day of the third Test against Australia on 120/1 at Ranchi on Friday. Opener Murali Vijay was batting on 42 off 112 balls, while Cheteshwar Pujara was on 10. India trail Australia by 331 runs, with three days left in the match. Comeback man Pat Cummins was the wicket-taker for Australia, dismissing KL Rahul on 67.
Earlier, Australia put on a massive total of 451, with captain Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell scoring centuries in their 191-run stand. Smith scored an unbeaten 178 off 361 balls, his second century in this series. This was also the highest score by an Australian captain in India, surpassing Michael Clarke’s 130 in Chennai.
Maxwell, making his Test return after Mitchell Marsh was injured, scored his maiden Test hundred – a solid 104 off 185 balls. In the process, he became only the second Australian to score centuries in all three formats of the game, after Shane Watson.
The partnership was finally broken by Ravindra Jadeja, who was the standout bowler for India with a five-wicket haul – his fourth this home season. The left-arm spinner also contributed with an almost blind run-out to get the last man dismissed. India ultimately got six Australian wickets for 150 runs, with stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane doing a decent job on field, in the absence of Virat Kohli, who still hasn’t recovered from a shoulder injury.
The Indian innings started on a strong note with Rahul and Vijay notching a 91-run opening partnership, the home team’s highest this series. Rahul scored the bulk of the runs, unleashing several stunning shots for boundaries. India’s highest run-getter this series got to his fifth Test half-century – and fourth in this series – and looked set for a big score.
However, Cummins got him with a superb delivery on 67. Playing a Test after more than five years, Cummins produced good bounce on the flat-looking Ranchi wicket and it was one such short ball that kissed Rahul’s glove on its way to keeper Matthew Wade. Vijay and Pujara consolidated from then on, taking India to 120 at stumps.
India will hope to bat it out on the third day as well, even as the wicket was slowing down. Captain Kohli did not take the field on day two and was seen in the dressing room with a bandaged shoulder. It isn’t clear whether he will come in to bat during this innings.
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